


Unconditional Family

by onihunter305



Series: Malec/Madzie [6]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: 3 + 1, Adoption, Angst, Daughter Madzie, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Malec, Parental Magnus, Protective Alec, Protective Magnus, parental alec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-24 10:11:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10739583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onihunter305/pseuds/onihunter305
Summary: The three times Alec thought he would have to protect his family, and the one time he did.





	1. Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first 3+1 story. The first three being fluffy and happy, and the last one not so much. 
> 
> This primarily deals with Alec coming to terms with his internalized homophobia and fears and coming into his own through his life experiences with his pseudo-family. His viewpoint is so small and his real life experience is so limited, so this shows him branching out and learning a little about himself along the way.
> 
> There are 4 chapters in all and they have al been written. But I am slowly editing them as I post them. Should have one a day or so.

Alec was nervous, more nervous than he had been in a very long time. He somehow had allowed Magnus to convince him to go out for a family dinner. In the three month’s Madzie had been staying with them, calling them dad and papa for one of those, they had yet to all leave the loft together. 

At first, Alec was fearful of either Madzie or Magnus leaving the apartment because the soul sword was still out there and posed a threat to all downworlders. Magnus eventually told him that even his wards wouldn’t fully be able to protect them if it was actually activated again, and although Alec freaked out he finally came to terms with that. After that, Madzie was allowed to play on the balcony, with supervision and Alec didn’t freak out every time Magnus had to leave for work.

After Alec got over that, they both began to fear that Valentine’s men would be looking for Madzie, unsure if she had been part of a bigger plan than just breaking down Magnus’ wards at the Institute. They both knew the safest place for her, beside’s the Institute, was Magnus’. So she had essentially been grounded to the loft until they both thought it was safe. 

It was Magnus who first noticed how miserable she seemed. She would often draw pictures of the three of them playing in the park, or at a playground. She asked, daily, if they could go out. It was apparent to the older warlock that she desired to go out and enjoy the world outside of his apartment.

Although they tried to supplement her interactions with outside individuals such as Alec’s siblings, as well as Clary and Simon, it became obvious that Madzie was becoming stir-crazy. 

Because of that, Magnus convinced Alec that they should take Madzie out for a family dinner. They had picked a mundane restaurant, where no one would know either of them and where Magnus could erect wards quickly without anyone being none the wiser. 

“Are you sure about this?” Alec asked, as he pulled Madzie’s rarely used coat from the closet. He was still a little nervous, but he trusted Magnus to help him protect Madzie should push come to shove. 

“We don’t want her growing up fearful of the world around her,” Magnus reasoned. 

“I know… It’s just that, she’s so young and been through so much. I don’t want her to experience anything… unpleasant,” Alec said. Alec was aware that Magnus shared his concern about someone trying to hurt or kidnap Madize while they were out, but Alec had another fear as well.

Although he didn’t want to voice the concern to Magnus, Alec was worried that their type of family wouldn’t be well received by the mundane restaurant they were going to visit. His experience in the mundane world had been limited for the most part, but he couldn’t remember seeing a family like theirs while he was out before. He didn’t want to expose Madzie to any further homophobia than she was forced to endure when his mother invaded their home.

“Everything will be fine my dear, stop worrying or Madzie will pick up on it,” Magnus said, leaning in to kiss Alec gently. “I promise, everyone will be fine.”

Alec just nodded thoughtfully. They helped an excited Madzie into her coat and they were off, Alec holding Madzie’s hand as they navigated the busy streets of Brooklyn. 

When they entered the small family style Italian restaurant, Alec was on edge. His eyes darted around to try and find all the exits and to assess the ease in which he could fortify and protect the area.

“Stop…shadowhunter-ing,” Magnus whispered as they were led to the table. Madzie took her seat, bouncing with excitement as she was handed a menu like an adult. The hostess made sure they were settled before promising to be back with crayons and coloring pages for Madzie. 

“What do you think you want Sweet Pea?” Magnus asked, pointing out the children’s menu. “They have mini-pizzas, chicken fingers and French fries, and grilled cheese and French fries.”

“What are you having daddy?” Madzie asked, looking at Alec. They had found, through various attempts at takeout, that Madzie had similar food interests as Alec did. Magnus was a lot more adventurous when it came food where Alec was very reserved. Madzie had learned very early in her time with the two men, that she might want to try what Alec ordered but never what Magnus ordered.

Alec eyed the menu, his eyes catching the variety of pastas offered by the restaurant. 

“I think I’m going to have the pasta purses,” Alec said after a moment of quiet contemplation. “They’re like little bags of cheese in a sweet and creamy roasted red pepper sauce,” he further explained to the little girl.

“I like cheese!” Madzie exclaimed loudly, drawing some eyes from surrounding tables. Alec scanned those around them for hateful looks but was surprised to see most people chuckling quietly or just smiling at Madzie’ exclamation. 

“They also have raviolis, which are also filled with cheese, but served in a red sauce,” Magnus pointed out to her, showing her where the menu had a picture of the aforementioned item. 

“That sounds good too, but the purses will be pretty,” Madzie said, deep in thought. Alec couldn’t help but think that she looked adorable as she took her choices seriously. 

“Maybe we could ask them to put the pasta purses in a red sauce for you Mads,” Alec suggested, not sure if the restaurant would honor that request but hopeful they would.

“That sounds like a marvelous idea Alexander,” Magnus said fondly. 

Soon the waiter was back, crayons and coloring pages in hand for Madzie. “Here you go young lady,” he said, making Madzie giggle at the term he used. “My name is Jacob and I will be your waiter tonight. Would you like to hear the specials?”

“Sure,” Magnus replied, always excited to see what new items they were serving. 

“We have a stuffed veal chop with…” the waiter began to rattle off the specials for the night but Alec tuned him out. He already knew what he was going to order so he decided to take in the people they were surrounded by. Part of his training was to read people so he figured that he should put that skill to use in that moment.

The couple behind them looked young, a man and a woman. They seemed too absorbed in themselves to take notice of anything going on at their table. There was a family to one side, a man and woman with their three kids. They seemed to have their hands full trying to keep all of their children seated and quiet so Alec doubted they would be paying a lot of attention to their table. On the other side of their table there was an elderly couple, they seemed to look over from time to time but their expressions gave nothing away about how they felt about what they were seeing. 

“So, what can I get for you folks tonight?” Jacob said, pulled Alec out of his thoughts. 

“Alexander?” Magnus prompted with a smile, knowing full well that Alec had been assessing their surroundings.

“Um, yes. I’d like the pasta purses please,” Alec said, handing his menu to the waiter as he placed his order. 

“And you, young lady?” Jacob asked, looking at Madzie. Alec and Magnus turned to her as she opened her mouth and then shut it. It would seem that she was being struck with a bit of shyness. 

“Daddy, can you order for me?” Madzie said softly to Alec, his eyes lowering so that she didn’t have to look at Jacob as she asked. Both Alec and Magnus caught the look of surprise on Jacob’s face as Madzie referred to Alec as her “daddy.” They knew their unorthodox family might surprise some people, as Madzie looked like neither of them, but they both hoped it wouldn’t be an issue. 

“Of course,” Alec said with a reassuring smile, tucking his concern over the waiter’s reaction into the back of his mind. He focused instead on ordering for his daughter, he knew it could be difficult for young children to talk to strangers and Madzie had been isolated more than others so it wasn’t surprising that she didn’t want to talk to the waiter. “We were wondering if you could serve the pasta purses in a red marinara sauce instead of the roasted red pepper sauce?” he asked.

“Sure no problem,” Jacob said with a smile he attempted to direct at Madzie to make her feel more at ease. “And you sir?” 

“I’ll try the veal special, thank you,” Magus said, handing over both his and Madzie’s menu to Jacob.

“Fantastic, you’re food should be out in about 30 minutes, but I’ll bring some bread over beforehand to hold you over,” Jacob said before leaving.

“Sorry,” Madzie said suddenly, surprising both Magnus and Alec with her statement. “I didn’t talk to the man,” she said as if that further explained her previous apology. 

Alec’s heart broke as he heard both fear and embarrassment in her tone. She quickly moved over so that he was kneeling next to her chair and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You want to hear a secret?” Alec asked. Madzie didn’t answer verbally, she just nodded. 

“When I was about your age a bunch of important people came to visit where I lived. My mother wanted me to give them a demonstration of how good I was with my bow. I was so nervous that I missed the target completely. I didn’t say a word, just ran out of the room and hid under my bed until Izzy came to get me out,” Alec said softly, catching Magnus’ surprised look out of the corner of his eyes. “So it’s okay to be nervous around people you don’t know.”

“Your mean mama was probably so mad,” Madzie said, fear creeping into her tone. She didn’t want Alec or Magnus to be mad at her.

“She was, she didn’t understand that the strangers scared me. But I can promise you that neither me or Papa are mad at you. We know you were scared, and we’re proud that you asked for help when you needed it,” Alec reassured her. Magnus smiled reassuringly when she looked over at him, he was so proud of both her and Alec.

Madzie’s eyes were wide with Alec’s confession about being scared. “But you’re so brave now,” she said. “You too Papa.”

“And so are you, our little Guppy,” Magnus said with a smile, pulling his chair over to where Madzie and Alec were huddled together. “You are the bravest little girl we know.”

Alec leaned in and hugged her gently, feeling her small arms wrap around him. When he pulled back, Magnus swooped in for a quick hug as well.

When they were all settled back in their chairs, Madzie began to color happily, the moment from before all but forgotten. 

Before long Jacob was back at the table with a bottle of wine that Magnus must have ordered when he was zoned out as well as a small soda for Madzie. 

When he handed her the drink she looked up shyly and said, “Thank you,” earning a big smile from all three men in her presence. 

The rest of the dinner went by without any incident. Madzie loved her dinner and even tried Alec’s with the roasted red pepper sauce. She refused to try Magnus’ which he was okay with because he finished the whole thing. 

As they finished their meal, Magnus called for Jacob to bring him the check so they could get home and start Madzie’s bedtime routine. 

Jacob came over to drop off the checkbook, but when Magnus opened it he was met with an unfamiliar sight. Instead of seeing a check, there was a small piece of lined paper. 

“What’s this?” Magnus asked, lifting the small paper with confusion written on his face. Alec looked over from where he was helping Madzie into her coat.

“Whats wrong?” Alec asked, noticing the perplexed look on his face. 

Magnus was quiet as he read the note over. As he continued to read through it, tears formed in his eyes. Alec feared something was very wrong at the sight of Magnus’ tears and quickly picked Madzie up and held her on his hip as he came around to read what was upsetting Magnus.

His breath caught as he read the words scribbled on the page:

 

Your family’s meal is on me tonight.   
As someone who was adopted, I could  
see how much you loved your daughter,  
even though she might not have been yours  
biologically. I wish there were more  
loving people like you in this world.

Thank you,  
Jacob

 

Alec’s head whipped around, trying to catch sight of their waiter. He couldn’t believe the happy man who had been taking care of them all night, paid for their dinner. He was very touched by what the young man had written, how he had thanked them for being a loving family. Most of all, he was shocked that he didn’t seem to care at all that they were both men.

Magnus didn’t say anything, he just pocketed the note and placed his hand on Alec’s back to lead him out of the restaurant. 

As they exited they were hit with the cool fresh air. Alec readjusted his grip on Madzie, keeping her in his arms on one side of his body. Magnus came around the other side and caught Alec’s hand with his own so that they could lace their fingers together as they walked back to the loft. 

Both adults were feeling overwhelmed by the love and acceptance they had been shown at dinner that night, by a mundane no less. 

For Alec, who was used to being degraded for loving another man by members of his own family, the man’s unconditional acceptance of him and Magnus’ relationship was overwhelming. He couldn’t understand how someone who didn’t even know him could accept that he loved another man when his parents could not.

For Magnus, who was used to being judged for being a warlock who was never meant to have children, the fact that his love for an orphaned child sparked such happiness in someone who didn’t know him was surprising. He met resistance from other downworlders, even warlocks, when the made the decision to keep Madzie and raise her with Alec. And yet, this man was impressed and welcoming of their decision without even knowing them.

When they got home, Alec put Madzie down and took off her coat. 

“Go get ready for bed Madzie, Magnus and I will be in to read you a story in a little bit,” Alec said.

Madzie turned to do as she was told, but paused and ran back to where Alec and Magnus were still standing in the entryway. She threw her body into their legs and hugged them tightly.

“Thank you so much for dinner,” she finally said, pulling back. Before they had a chance to respond she took off towards her room. 

“Well, how about that,” Magnus said with a smile.

“And you were worried,” Alec said, jokingly, before moving towards Madzie’s room to help her with her bedtime routine. 

“…hey! I wasn’t the worried one!” Magnus said, trailing after him. The only response he got, was a laugh from Alec.


	2. Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Izzy take Madzie to the park, of course chaos was bound to occur.

Alex was beginning to wonder if somehow, at some point, he had upset an angel and he was being punished. That was the only explanation for the situation he was currently in. Somehow, his boyfriend, his daughter, and his sister had all ganged up on him and convinced him that going to the local playground was an awesome idea. He was almost positive Magnus had done his “magic-thing” to get Alec to agree.

So…there he was. Standing next to a giant, unsafe, and unsteady looking jungle-gym as he watched his precious daughter run towards it with a huge smile on her face. From her spot next to him, Izzy laughed at his calculated look.

“Relax big brother, she will be fine. Mundane children have been playing on these playgrounds for years and they have managed to all survive. I think one warlock child being guarded by two badass shadowhunters will be just fine,” she laughed.

“How did I let you and Magnus talk me into this?” Alec asked, his breath catching as he watched Madzie jump to reach what he had been told were ‘monkey bars.’

“Please, you will do anything that little girl asks of you. We were barely involved,” Izzy replied with a smile. She was so proud of how Alec had embraced his fatherly role with the little orphaned warlock child. She had always known what a wonderful father he would make, especially after she watched him basically raise Max while their parents perfected the art of 'acting perfect and obeying the Clave' at their children's expense. 

When she thinks back to when the moment she officially knew that Alec was gay, she remembered how she had felt sad that this was one part of life that he would potentially never get to know. She knew that Clave would never allow a gay male shadowhunter to adopt an orphaned shadowhunter child, and that if he ever married a woman for show Alec would be unable to preform to procreate. She was so happy to be able to see her brother fulfill something she knew he longed for. 

When she turned her attention back to her brother she noticed he was somehow watching every move Madzie made as well as assessing everyone else in the park that day. She had seen that calculating and ever vigilant look many time, when he came out to the bars or clubs to keep an eye on her and Jace. It pained her slightly to see how he was literally unable to relax, how he was always looking out for the people he cared for.

“You need to relax Alec. Come and sit on the bench with me. We can still see Madzie from there but we can also talk,” Izzy suggested, pulling him towards the section of the playground where benches lined the edges for parents and babysitters to sit and keep a watchful eye on their charges. 

“What were mundanes thinking when they created these deathtraps?” Alec asked, eyeing the ‘slide’ that children were whipping down. He winced as yet another child flew off the plastic contraption and into the dirt below. He couldn't understand how mundanes hadn't broken every bone in their body if this is what they let their children play on.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe that their children can have a little reckless fun?” Izzy laughed, “I mean, it’s not jumping the rafters in the institute or practicing with seraph blades, but I think it’s a good way for children to pass the time.”

“And who thought of these names? I mean, monkey bars? I doubt they were tested by monkeys! And to insinuate that children are like monkeys is demeaning, and insulting,” Alec continued to rant, his hands waving around in exasperation. 

Izzy threw back her head and laughed at the ridiculousness that was coming out of her brother’s mouth. 

“Don’t ever change, dear brother, don’t ever change,” she said, laying her head on his shoulder as they watched Madzie run and laugh around the playground.

A little while later Alec’s head perked up, “Who is Madzie talking to?” He asked suddenly, shaking Izzy’s head off it’s resting place on his shoulder. 

“Some other kid on the playground? Like a normal, mundane, safe kid?” Izzy said, looking over to the pair but wholly unconcerned. 

“How do we know his intentions?” Alec asked, his eyes narrowing as he watched the two interact. 

“Oh the Angel’s help her when she starts dating,” Izzy chuckled, causing Alec’s eyes to widen in shock. “Oh calm down Alec, she’s just making a friend. It’s perfectly normal!”

Alec worried his lower lip between his teeth. He knew Izzy was right, that Madzie wasn’t in any danger, but he couldn’t help but worry. He worried that someone would come who meant her harm. He worried that she would be teased or made fun of by other children on the playground. He worried that she would get lost or kidnapped. He just worried. 

All of a sudden Madzie and her new friend were running over to where Alec and Izzy were sitting. 

“Daddy! Aunt Izzy!” She exclaimed when she was close enough to be heard. “This is Matt! He’s my new friend!” She said excitedly. 

Alec smiled at her enthusiasm. He could feel how happy she felt in that moment and it was infectious. 

“Matt, this is my daddy and this is my Aunt Izzy,” she introduced them proudly. Ever since Alec and Magnus accepted her offer to be her Daddy and Papa, she had begun to collect family members like baseball trading cards. She soon had gathered Izzy and Clary as her ‘Aunts’ and Jace as her ‘Uncle.’ Alec had adamantly refused to let her call Simon her ‘Uncle,’ to everyone’s amusement and dismay. 

“Hi,” the little boy said with a wave. He seemed nice enough in Alec’s eyes, though he knew he could never judge a book by it’s cover. 

“Did you make a new friend Miss. Madzie?” Izzy asked with a smile. 

“Uh huh! We’re gonna play on the monkey bars. Matt says he can do the whole thing!” She said with amazement in her tone of voice. 

Before anyone could comment one way or the other, Madzie grabbed Matt’s hand and they were off, back to the playground.

“That’s so cute,” Izzy commented, watching as Madzie seemed to study Matt’s efforts on the monkey bars.

“Yeah…” Alec trailed off, not entirely agreeing. 

“Alec,” Izzy said, drawing his attention away from where Madzie was gearing up to try her hand at the monkey bars. “I know you want to protect Madzie from the world, I’m pretty sure every parents wants that for their child, shadowhunter parents excluded. But you can’t drive yourself crazy over it, and you can’t drive her crazy either. You’re going to have to let her live a little, make friends, make mistakes.”

“She’s just…had such a tough life. And she’s only six. How can I not try and protect her from ever having to feel that pain ever again?” Alec countered. Izzy agreed that he made a good point, but no parent was perfect and Alec would drive himself sick if he tried.

“You, brother, are possibly one of the best big brothers and parental figures out there. You’ve been parenting me, and Jace, and Max for years. Did we make mistakes, yeah, but we learned and grew from them. And if we ever got ourselves in too deep, you were there to pick us up again. You can’t wrap her up and protect her from the world, but you can help her navigate it,” Izzy said, her hand resting gently on his arm as she finished. 

Alec allowed her words to sink in. He knew she was right, but control was difficult to give up when you have been striving to have it your whole life. Just as he was about to thank her he heard an unmistakable high pitched scream, one he was all too familiar with. 

His head whipped around to where Madzie sat on the ground, tears falling from her eyes as she held her knee, cornered by adults he didn’t know. “Madzie!” He exclaimed, shooting out of his seat and sprinting towards her, leaning Izzy without another word. As soon as she recognized the situation, she too was up and running.

By the time he reached them, many of the well meaning parents had moved back, recognizing that whoever was responsible for the little girl was on their way. The only people left, as he crashed to his knees next to her, was Matt and another woman. 

“Madzie?! What happened?” Alec asked, gathering her close to him as he tried to assess what was causing her distress.

“I believe she is fine, she just fell off the monkey bars and scrapped her knee,” the woman, who Alec was guessing was there with Matt, told him. 

By now Izzy had reached them and was crouched down next to Alec. As he held Madzie in his arms, he maneuvered her so that Izzy could assess her knees. Izzy hissed as she saw the raw scrapes on both knees. She knew that both her and Alec had gotten worse injuries training as children, but this was a child who had been sheltered her whole life and surrounded by warlocks who would heal each and every hurt before the pain even registered. 

“Oh sweetie, you’ll be alright,” Izzy said, trying to sound reassuring. Her heart broke a little bit as Madzie clung tightly to Alec, her face hidden in his shirt as she cried.

“I want Papa,” she sniffled, knowing he could take away all her pain. It wasn’t that she didn’t love Alec, or appreciate his comfort, but she knew he couldn’t heal her like her Papa could. 

“He’s right here,” Matt said, pointing to Alec. His face showed that he didn’t understand why Madzie was asking for the man who was holding her. 

“No, this is Daddy, I want Papa,” Madzie said, sniffling and rubbing her eyes to clear the tears. 

“Huh?” Matt asked. Alec didn’t know what to do in this situation. He really wanted to call Magnus away from his appointment to Portal here and heal Madzie’s knees. But with a mundane in his presence he knew that wasn’t possible. What he really didn’t want to do, was explain his family to this little boy and what he suspected was the little boy's mother. 

Thankfully for him, he didn’t have to.

“Matthew, some people have special kinds of families. You live with me, daddy, and baby Bella. Your cousin Jake lives with just Aunt Janie because Uncle Abe lives in heaven now. Your friend here lives with two daddies, or actually a daddy and a papa,” the woman explained carefully to her son, she looked up at Alec for approval of her explanation and he found himself smiling and nodding. He had never been so grateful for a mundane in his life. She somehow explained their family situation to the small boy without making it sound wrong or unnatural. 

Izzy couldn’t help but feel grateful for this woman as well, as much as she was delicately explaining the situation to her son, she was also showing Alec unconditional acceptance that he rarely experienced. 

“That’s cool. You’re lucky to have two dads Madzie,” Matt said, smiling at her. Alec was overwhelmed with how accepting they were of his little family. “And I know you want your papa, but my mom has bandaids…so maybe she could help you feel better?”

Madzie’s eyes turned to the woman and then back to Alec questioningly, she didn’t know if she should accept help from this person she had never met before. 

“I do, I have a small first aid kit if you want. With my rowdy little Matty here, I’m in constant need of bandaids,” she laughed.

“Thank you, that would be wonderful,” Izzy said, replying for Alec who seemed unable to do so for himself. “And thank you for your help. I’m Izzy and this is my brother Alec and his daughter Madzie.” Izzy continued, introducing everyone.

“It’s no problem,” she said, pulling a small red bag out of her bad with a white cross on it. “You’ve obviously met Matt, my name is Irene.”

She quickly made work of cleaning the cut and putting antibacterial cream on them before covering both scrapped knees with large bandaids. 

“How’s that Madzie?” Irene asked. 

“A little better,” the little girl admitted, still wishing her Papa was there to use his magic to make her cuts heal but it didn’t hurt anymore and she knew Papa would fix her up as soon as they went home.

“Thank you for your help,” Alec said, standing up with Madzie still in his arms. Even if she no longer needed his comfort, he just felt the need to hold her. 

“Of course,” Irene said with a laugh, “First time taking her out by yourself?” She continued as she watched how carefully Alec clung to the little girl in his arms.

“Huh?” Alec asked, unsure of what she was asking.

“Is this your first time taking her out without your husband?” She asked nonchalantly, making Alec blush and Izzy giggle. 

“Oh…uh…he’s not my husband,” Alec stuttered. “Magnus, he’s my boyfriend. But yeah, it’s the first time I’ve taken Madzie out without him.”

“It gets easier,” she said with a smile. “But now I have a feeling you want to get her home. It was nice to meet all of you, I hope to see you here again.”

“Thank you again, and yes, maybe you will,” Alec said with a smile.

With that, Alec turned and started walking out of the park, his daughter in his arms, his sister by his side, and a smile on his face.


	3. Picnic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec feels spontaneous and takes his family to the park for a picnic!

After their success the past few times going out, Alec got the idea of taking both Madzie and Magnus out for a picnic. He knew it was the kind of thing that Magnus appreciated from him and Madzie loved to visit the park and play on the playground there. 

So, while Madzie and Magnus were in his office practicing her magic he got to work preparing a picnic to surprise them with. He made sandwiches and packed sides and drinks for everyone all into a bag that seemed sturdy enough to carry it.

Just as he was finishing he heard Madzie running down the hall towards where he was.

“Daddy! I’m hungry!” She exclaimed, coming to a stop right in front of him.

“Are you now? Well that’s prefect, because I prepared a little surprise for you and Papa,” Alec said with a smile.

“Is that so?” Magnus asked, walking into the kitchen after hearing Alec’s last remark.

“Yes, how about, instead of having lunch here in the loft, we go to the park and have a picnic?” Alec asked, his tone hopeful. He had thought it was a great idea when it popped into his head, but now he wondered if they would be too tired from practicing to want to go out or if Magnus just didn’t like picnics. There was an infinite amount of possibilities in which his idea could be the worst idea ever.

“That, Alexander, sounds absolutely fantastic,” Magnus said, quickly coming into the kitchen to reassure Alec. Although he had gotten more comfortable in their relationship, Magnus knew he still had a lot of doubts and concerns. Sadly, it seemed as though not a day went by that Alec second-guessed himself.

“Really?” Alec said, his face lighting up with Magnus’ words.

“Yay! A picnic. Can I go on the playground? Can I?” Madzie asked excitedly, looking between both of them with wide eyes. 

“Of course Sweet Pea,” Magnus said. “Ready Alexander?” 

“Yeah,” Alec said, picking up the bag full of food. 

Magnus helped Madzie into her coat and took her hand as they exited the loft. The park was a short walk away from where Magnus lived and they all preferred to walk there instead of portaling, that way they didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing them appear suddenly. 

When they arrived Alec made short work out of spreading the blanket he had thrown into the bag before they left. Madzie and Magnus settled down on their corners, Madzie bouncing with excitement. 

Alec handed out the sandwiches and arranged the sides he brought, handing a water bottle to Magnus and a juice box to Madzie as he did so. 

“Yum, peanut butter and jelly! My favorite!” Madzie said, trying to talk and chew her food at the same time.

“Swallow first,” Alec reminded her.

“Sorry daddy,” she replied once she had swallowed. 

“It’s okay, I just don’t want you to choke on your food” Alec explained, wanting her to know that there was a reason behind his rule.

Just as they were finishing up their meal they were startled by a barking dog running towards their picnic. Seeing what was about to happen first, and having the quickest reflexes, Alec was on his feet and in between the dog and Madzie immediately. 

Madzie, reading Alec’s body language and seeing the big dog rushing towards them, yelped in fear and jumped into Magnus’ arms. Magnus held her tightly and stood up, holding her tightly to the side that wasn’t turned towards the dog. 

“Stay,” Alec commanded strongly, his hand ghosting over where his seraph blade was glamoured. 

For a moment it seemed as though the dog was not going to stop and Magnus snapped his fingers to bring his magic forwards. Just as he was about to make the dog freeze, a sharp and short whistle rang out, stopping the dog on a dime. 

Alec and Magnus both looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes and then back to the dog who was sitting docile on the ground, looking up at them like they were the ones who were just charging him.

Before they could think too much about it, two men came running towards them. Alec quickly spotted that one of them had a leash in his hand while the other had a whistle around his neck. That explained where the sound had come from, and the leash most likely meant that this dog belonged to one, or both, of them.

“We’re so sorry! I don’t know why Bernie charged like that. I swear he’s completely friendly, he probably just smelled your food and wanted a snack,” the man with the leash said, coming over to where the dog was sitting and grabbing his collar. He quickly snapped the leash on, making Magnus relax.

“I hope he didn’t scare you too much. He’s a big mush really, loves everyone, especially kids,” the other man said, seeing how Madzie was still hiding and clinging to Magnus.

“Well, he didn’t actually do anything, so I guess it’s all okay,” Magnus said, trying to be diplomatic as he could see Alec was still on edge. 

“And I’m also being rude! Sorry, let’s introduce ourselves,” the man holding the leash said to the man with the whistle. “I’m Seth and this is Lukas. And this big old mush of a Saint Bernard is Bernie.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Magnus, that’s Alec, and this little girl here in my arms is Madzie,” Magnus said politely. 

“If she’s not scared anymore you can put her down, I swear Bernie is great with kids. She could even come pet him if she wanted,” Lukas said, reaching down to ruffle the hair on the dogs head.

“Sweet Pea?” Magnus asked, seeing if Madzie felt up to petting the dog that had frightened her moments before. He could see Alec gearing up to protest next to him and subtly shook his head. He wanted Madzie to make this decision on her own, or at least voice how she felt. 

“Can I?” She asked, looking at Alec for permission. She had been scared of the dog at first but he looked nice now. And the two adults with him said he was nice. And all of Magnus’ cats at the loft were nice and she liked playing with them. But she also knew her Daddy would tell her if it was dangerous. 

“If you want to Mads, no one is going to make you,” Alec said, recognizing that she was looking to him to make the decision for her. They had been working on her voicing what she wanted instead of always doing what they said/told her to do. They figured it had a lot to do with her time with Valentine and Iris, she probably had never been allowed to think for herself before. It was also likely that every decision she made, was met with criticism or pain, something Alec was far too familiar with in his own family. He never wanted Madzie to feel like that with them. 

“Okay,” she said nodding. Magnus gently set her on the ground and she slowly walked to the other side of him so he was no longer between her and the dog. She took a few steps towards the large animal and when he didn’t make a move to come towards her she took the last two. Then she slowly reached out her hand and pet his back carefully. She knew, from playing with her Papa’s cats, that she had to be super gentle.

After petting him for a few moments he turned his head and licked her hand. Alec tensed, waiting to see how she would react, but he was pleasantly surprised when she laughed and continued to pet him through the licking she was receiving. 

“Good boy,” Seth said from where he was standing close by. “He likes to play fetch, if you wanted,” he continued, looking at both Magnus and Alec to ask permission to invite Madzie to play with the dog. 

Magnus nodded his permission and Seth pulled a worn looking Tennis ball out of his back pocket.

“See, if you throw this, Bernie will run and bring it back,” Seth explained. 

“But beware, there will be a lot of drool on it when he brings it back!” Lukas said with a laugh. 

“Daddy, I can throw it?” She asked, once again looking to Alec for reassurance. 

“Go ahead, if you want to,” he reiterated. She smiled happily at him before turning back towards Seth and taking the ball out of his hand. She watched as he unhooked Bernie’s leash and then she threw the ball as far as she could. 

Bernie whined and looked like he wanted to rush after the ball but was waiting for his cue. 

“You gotta tell him to F-E-T-C-H or he won’t get it,” Lukas said, spelling out the command word that she needed to say for Bernie to go after the ball.

“I can’t spell,” Madzie told him with an exasperated tone, as if she expected him to know that.

Alec smiled at her sassy tone and moved to kneel next to her so that he could whisper the word without triggering Bernie for her. 

“Try telling him to fetch,” Alec whispered.

“Okay, FETCH Bernie,” she called out, saying the command word lounder than the others. 

Without another word, the dog took off quickly after the tennis ball, barking happily as he did so. As soon as he had the ball in his mouth he sprinted back towards where the five of them were standing. He came to a halt in front of Madzie and dropped the now wet ball at her feet.

“He did it daddy. Did you see papa?” Madzie asked excitedly.

“I did! And I bet if you threw it again he would do it again,” Magnus said with a smile, coming over to where Alec was standing nearby Madzie. He wished he could reach out and pull Alec into his body in that moment but he knew how skittish the Shadowhunter still was. 

“He sure will,” Seth said with child like exuberance. 

Madzie quickly grabbed the ball, ignoring the slimy substance all over it, and threw it towards the trees again. “FETCH!”

Once again the dog took of, causing Madzie to squeal with laughter. Again and again Madzie threw the ball and Bernie retrieved it for her. While that was happening, Seth and Lukas moved towards each other, Lukas wrapping his arm around the other man’s waist and pulling him close. 

Magnus watched Alec’s reaction as Lukas leaned in and kissed Seth’s temple without a care in the world. He wanted Alec to see how others felt comfortable win their relationships. He knew Alec had a lot of internalized homophobia that he was still working out but he hoped seeing other’s relaxed and comfortable with who they were would give Alec the courage to try the same. 

Alec’s eyes were drawn to the couple as they interacted freely with each other. He momentarily looked around to see if anyone was watching them, or were bothered by what they were witnessing, but he was surprised to see that no one seemed to care. He knew that two people doing that in the Institute would have caused an uproar. 

Alec wasn’t stupid, he knew that Magnus wasn’t used to living such a closeted lifestyle. He knew that Magnus longed to hold his hand as they walked down the street, or kiss him while they were in public. He also knew that Magnus held back on doing all of those things because Alec wouldn’t have been comfortable with it. But, Alec was learning, that very few people in the mundane world seemed to care if two men were together. They also seem unaffected when two men had a small child with them, one that called them both 'father.'

The person in the flower shop who had sold flowers to Max hadn’t batted an eyelash as Max explained they were for his brother’s boyfriend. The waiter at the restaurant had nothing but love for who they were and how they were raising Madzie. Irene hadn’t seemed to care that Alec had a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend or that Madzie had a Daddy and a Papa instead of a mother. And now, Alec was watching two men interacting in the exact same way he wished he felt comfortable to do. 

Feeling a moment of bravery, Alec moved closer to Magnus and subtly laced his fingers with the older man. He watched as Magnus’ eyes widened but he didn’t turn to look at him. He felt Magnus tightened his grip and watched a smile spread across his face. 

As they stood there, watching their daughter play, Alec couldn’t recall a moment in which he felt happier.


	4. The Institute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His own people, the shadowhunters he had trained with and fought beside, looked upon his life choices with distain and his daughter with disgust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been brought to my attention that there is some content within chapter 4 (The Institute) that can be seen as offensive. I would like to apologize if I offended anyone, as it is not my intention when writing. Additionally, I have gone back and hopefully corrected my error. 
> 
> Having been born and raised in New York, sometimes I feel as though I have been desensitized to the wrongdoings of the world as I often encounter things that should not occur every day. Riding the subway can be an eyeopening experience, in both good and bad ways. This, does not in any way, excuse any error I have made that might have hurt someone either emotionally or mentally. 
> 
> Hopefully these corrections make this a more enjoyable reading experience for all.

Stress seemed like such a small word to describe the panic Alec was currently feeling as he sat in what was supposed to be a very important meeting. Envoys from the Clave, sent to lead various task forces against Valentine’s men, were currently occupying his council room and having a strategy meeting. And unfortunately, as acting head of the institute after Aldertree had been ‘suddenly’ called back to Idris, Alec was required to be there. 

That only posed a major problem because Magnus also had somewhere he had to be at that very moment as well. 

As High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus had been called away to settle a dispute between some Vampire clans in another boroughs. They had searched around, trying to find someone to watch Madzie for them while they both went out but had been unfortunately unsuccessful. Catarina had to work and was unable to get someone to cover her shift. Clary, Izzy, and Jace were all scheduled to train at the institute that afternoon and had been under close watch recently as searches for Valentine’s forces continued to be fruitless and they were the last ones to see any of them. And Alec completely refused to allow himself to entertain the idea of Simon watching her. 

The only option that had been acceptable for both Magnus and Alec was for Madzie to go with him and stay in his room within the protected walls of the Institute. 

It wasn’t a perfect plan, it meant leaving her all alone in a place where she was barely accepted for who she was, but it was the absolute only way to provide her with protection while they were unable to be with her. At least she would be close by to Alec in case of an emergency. 

So, Alec had allowed Magnus to portal them inside the Institute and Alec had set Madzie up with books, coloring pages, crayons, and a spare iPhone. That meant she would be able to keep herself occupied as well as contact them if absolutely necessary. Alec had made sure to explain to her that the cell phone was for emergencies only, that she was to call them if someone threatened her or if she no longer felt safe where she was. Madzie had just smiled at them and reassured them that she was a big girl and would be fine with her toys for a few hours. 

So that was why Alec was distracted at his meeting, staring at his phone every few minutes, checking to see if Madzie was alright. He tried to focus, knowing that if word got back to his parents that he was an inattentive acting head of the Institute it would mean nothing but terrible things for him. Even with that threat looming overhead, he just couldn’t tear his eyes away from his phone long enough to give anything his full attention. 

“We think Valentines forces might have moved out of New York, to regroup. Now that they have two mortal instruments, they are highly likely trying to reconfigure a way to make his dream a reality. You’ve faced off against him personally recently, so what are your thoughts Alec?” James Blackthorn said, looking to Alec for information.

“Um, it is possible. In all of our patrols since the attack on the Institute we have been unable to locate any indication that they remain in any of the five boroughs of New York. They have most likely either moved out of state or further upstate,” Alec said, forcing himself to concentrate. ‘Madzie will be fine,’ he kept telling himself internally.

~*~

And she was.

At that exact moment Madzie was feeling content while sitting on Alec’s bed, playing with her dolls and coloring. If anything, she had been feeling a little lonely as she was used to being around people all the time. Her daddy and her papa never left her alone before. 

She had finished reading the two books she brought with her, they were easy ones that papa had read to her a million times before. And she was almost out of coloring pages. She still had the iPhone to play on, but she didn’t feel like doing that right now. 

“I wonder when Daddy will be back?” She asked her doll absently, knowing that she wouldn’t talk back. “I know! We can listen to music and dance, like papa does with us all the time!”

And with that, Madzie opened the phone she had been left with to the music app and began playing a playlist that Magnus had uploaded to the phone. She stood up on the bed and began dancing around, doll in hand.

She was so preoccupied with what she was doing, she didn’t noticed someone knocking on the door. She also didn’t noticed when that same someone soundlessly opened the door. 

“Who are you?” A rough male voice asked, causing her to yelp in fright and jump off the bed to hide behind it. She knew the man had seen her, and she knew that daddy said to stay out of sight, but she didn’t know what to do now. 

“Come out from there,” the man ordered, taking the phone from where it rested on the bed and turning off the music that had caught his attention in the first place. “What are you doing in the room of the acting head of the Institute?” 

He sounded so angry, causing a shudder to rip through Madzie. She was afraid the man was going to hurt her like her Nana and the bad man did. All she wanted in that moment was her daddy or her papa. Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes as she huddled down as small as possible behind the bed.

“Seriously?” The man asked, surprised the small being wasn’t listening to him. He had no idea who she was or what she was doing in the Institute, and with everything that had been happening recently with break-ins and security breaches, he wasn’t going to take any chances. “If you don’t come out, I am going to come back there and get you out,” he commanded.

Madzie’s hands flew up to the scarf tied tightly around her neck. She had more control of her powers now, she could protect herself, maybe. She didn’t want to though, she knew daddy and papa said she should never use her powers against shadowhunters because that could get her in a lot of trouble. Daddy and papa had also told her to use her powers to protect herself if she was ever in danger. She didn’t know what to do. She wished she had the phone they had given her, she would have been able to call them and they would have saved her. But the man who was yelling at her had the phone. 

 

“If you mean this Institute or those who inhabit it harm, you will wish you never entered,” he threatened, making Madzie whimper. She knew that she had done bad things before, that she had helped the bad man come in here and hurt people, that she had hurt people. But she didn’t want to, she had only wanted her Nana back. Her Papa and Daddy had explained to her that she was being ‘manipulated’ before and that it wasn’t her fault and that she was a good girl. Now she feared that they were wrong and this man was going to punish her because of that. 

Just as she was about to undo the tie around her neck another voice joined the conversation, this time it was a woman’s voice. 

“What are you yelling about Raj?” Lydia asked, entering the room. She could’t see any reason for the other man to be in Alec’s room. Then again, as she looked around, she couldn’t see a reason for a lot of things to be in Alec’s room… like dolls, and princess coloring pages, and children’s books. 

“There is an intruder in Alec Lightwood’s room,” Raj answered, pulling his seraph blade and preparing to take the intruder by force. Although it looked like a child upon first glance, Raj was beginning to suspect that it was a glamour. He had failed the Institute before, he wasn’t going to fail it again.

Lydia was immediately on alert. She had been out of the Institute during the last attack, in Idris reporting information back to the Clave, and she had been horrified at the massacre she had returned to. She pulled her seraph blade as well and stood shoulder to shoulder with Raj, ready to fight.

“Show yourself,” Raj called out again, the threat clear in his voice. Madzie whimpered loud enough for the shadowhunters to hear, she had undone the tie around her neck but she was afraid to utilize her powers to remove the air from the room. She didn’t want to hurt anyone, she never wanted to hurt anyone ever again. But she was scared.

Lydia felt her grip soften at the sound of a child-like whimper. She began to have doubts about whoever this intruder was. She doubted an enemy of the Institute would whimper in fear in the presence of two shadowhunters. 

“Did you see the intruder?” Lydia whispered to the warrior next to her. 

“For a brief moment before it tucked behind the bed. It had been jumping on Alec Lightwood’s bed when I entered,” Raj replied, sure that he was right and disliking the tone in which Lydia questioned him. He knew, for a fact, that Alec Lightwood had no children and that the one he had stumbled upon was not the only other small Lightwood child, Maxwell. Whoever they were, he was sure that they were not authorized to be there. 

Lydia could hear the slight doubt in the other man’s tone and she lowered her seraph blade and holstered it. Jumping on the bed did not sound like the move of a skilled warrior who meant them harm, it sounded like the playfulness of a child. 

“Put that away, what if it is a child!” Lydia said swiftly, slowly approaching the other side of the bed. She didn’t think anyone or thing would have gone through such a spectacular rouse to make them believe it was a child. As she rounded the corner she saw the small frightened little girl huddled by the head of the bed, shaking in fear.

“Well?” Raj asked, his blade still out but hanging by his side.

“Its just a little girl. And you’ve scared her. I suggest you take your leave,” Lydia ordered, she had no idea who this kid was but she doubted she was going to get any answers with Raj in the room. The other shadowhunter holstered his blade but did not leave the room, he didn’t feel as though he was wrong, even if Lydia did. 

Lydia noticed the blade disappear and frowned as Raj failed to follow her orders and leave. She knew it wasn’t the time or place to argue with him and instead turned her attention to the child huddled by Alec’s bed. “Hi Sweetie, my name is Lydia Branwell. Can you tell me why you are here?” She asked softly.

Madzie’s tearstained eyes looked up towards the calming voice.

“I want my daddy,” was all she said, hoping that someone would understand who she wanted and bring him to her. She knew she wouldn’t feel safe again until she was with her daddy. 

“Okay, who is your daddy? I can get them for you if you tell me,” Lydia asked, confused. She knew, for a fact, that there were no shadowhunters with children staying at the institute at the moment. Madzie uncurled herself slightly, hoping this woman would bring her to her daddy now. It was then, that Lydia saw the gills. “Oh, you’re a warlock,” she commented, her voice betraying her surprise at that fact.

Immediately Madzie curled back up, her hands coming up to cover her gills protectively. She didn’t like how this woman was staring at her gills like there was something wrong with her. Her daddies had always told her that her gills made her special and that they were beautiful. This woman didn’t sound like she liked her gills at all.

At Lydia’s exclamation, Raj made a disgusted sound. How had a downworlder child manage to slip past their defenses to lie in wait in Alec’s room? Did she mean to attack him? Were downworlders using children to do their dirty work?

She peaked around the room, to see if the bad man who had the sword was still in the room. She saw his angry eyes looking at her and she curled up even tighter. That man hated her for being a warlock, just like daddy had warned her about. 

“You’re not helping Raj,” Lydia spat out. Raj rolled his eyes and began to walk out of the room, vowing to stay close by. He figured the best thing to do at that moment, because Lydia was sure that this warlock child was no danger to the Institute, was to gather others who might be ready and able to fight if necessary.

“Alright, since you are in Alec Lightwood’s room… are you waiting for him?” Lydia asked, seeing that the child was once again frightened. She was so confused as to how a warlock child had made it’s way into Alec’s room and seemingly made itself comfortable, yet the fact that Alec was currently dating a warlock made the possibility that the child was there for him more likely. 

Just as she was about to ask again, she heard the tell tale sound of Izzy’s heels on the hallway tile outside. If there was anyone who would know about a warlock child in Alec’s room, it would be his sister.

“Isabelle! Come in here,” she called. 

Moment’s later Isabelle entered into her brother’s room, confused as to why Lydia was the one calling her in there. As far as she knew, Alec was in meetings all morning and shouldn’t have been in there. 

“Lydia?” She asked, concerned by the tone she heard in the other woman’s voice. 

“Do you know who this is?” Lydia asked, from her spot by the foot of Alec’s bed. 

“Aunt Izzy!” The small body yelled, before jumping up and over tot he bed to rush towards the familiar woman. 

“Aunt Izzy? Isabelle, who is this?” Lydia asked, gesturing to the child now wrapped in Isabelle’s arms. 

“This is Alec’s … adopted daughter, Madzie,” Isabelle said, holding the small frightened child tight to her body. “What did you do to her?” She said quickly, feeling a surge of protective urges as she felt Madzie trembling in her arms.

“The other bad man, he took my phone and had a sword like daddy’s!” Madzie said, explaining the situation in a way that only a frightened child could.

Without allowing another word, Izzy whipped out her phone and dialed Alec’s number.

“Izzy I’m about to step into another meeting…” Alec began, sounding exhausted. Isabelle thanked the Angel that she was able to catch him at a moment when he could answer his phone.

“Alec, someone went after Madzie, I have her now and she’s alright. But she’s scared,” Izzy said quickly. All of a sudden the line went dead. Izzy put the phone back in her pocket, she was sure Alec was on his way to her at that very moment. “Daddy is coming,” she reassured Madzie.

Lydia was shocked, not only was she learning that Alec had an adopted daughter, but apparently Isabelle knew about it. She had no knowledge of a clave approved adoption so she figured that is was more of a figurative adoption, but either way she was surprised that Alec had been able to hide something like that. More so, she had pulled her seraph blade on Alec’s child. Even though she had put it away as soon as she began to think for herself instead of blindly following Raj’s lead, she had made the situation worse before she made it better. She knew that she would have to apologize to both Alec and this small child in Isabelle’s arms. 

The sound of training boots thumping through the hallway alerted the two female shadowhunters of Alec’s impending arrival. They turned just in time to see Alec whip around the doorway and into his room, his face panicked. 

“Daddy!” Madzie exclaimed, her voice trembling with relief. She wiggled out of Izzy’s grasp so she could throw herself into Alec’s waiting arms. As soon as she was safe within them she began sobbing in earnest. She couldn’t help it, now that she knew nothing scary would happen to her, she felt all her bravado disappear. 

“What happened?” Alec asked quietly, shushing the child wrapped in his arms. He hated seeing her like that, it reminded him of all the nights she spent crying in his arms from nightmares after she came to stay with him and Magnus at the loft. 

“I don’t know for sure, I just got here a few minutes ago,” Izzy said, looking to Lydia to further explain things to Alec.

“I don’t know exactly what happened before I got here, but I heard Raj yelling in your room and came to see what the fuss was about. When I got in here he had his seraph blade out and was stalking around your bed. He convinced me that there was an intruder in your room that meant the Institute harm. When I questioned him further he said that he had cornered an intruder disguised as a child. At that time I did my best to defuse the situation. Alec…I didn’t know, I swear. I would never have pulled my blade as well if I had known. I’m so sorry,” Lydia said, tears coming to her eyes.

“Okay,” Alec said, not necessarily forgiving her but knowing that she wouldn’t have harmed Madzie if she had known. He felt her continue to tremble in his arms and took a moment to reassure her and comfort her before gesturing for Lydia to continue. 

“I forced Raj to leave at that point because I knew he was only making things worse at that moment. When I was able to get through to Mad-zie,” she said the name as a question, unsure if she was pronouncing it right. When Alec smiled and nodded she allowed a small smile back before continuing, “She said she wanted her daddy, which now I am assuming means you, but at the time I had no idea who she was asking for. When I heard Isabelle coming down the hall, I called her in because I was sure she would know if this child was meant to be in your room.” Lydia reported with an efficiency that came from being an important envoy for the Clave for a good portion of her adult life. 

“Raj… pulled a seraph blade on Madzie? He was going to hurt her? Even after you ascertained that she was only a child?” Alec asked with a tone that promised severe pain for the man who may have just made the biggest mistake of his life.

“He didn’t know at first, I honestly believe that. I’m not defending his choices, but he didn’t know who she was when he entered your room. And after everything this Institute has been through, he probably thought he was doing the right thing. But then, after I realized what she was … I think he still wanted to hurt her… even though she was a child, because she was a warlock.” Lydia said, trying to defuse the situation without lying to Alec. She could tell he cared deeply for the child in his arms, but every shadowhunter in that Institute had it engrained into their system that they were to protect it without question. She also knew that they all had certain prejudices that had been drilled into them since birth, prejudices that were hard to overcome. Not all shadowhunters were able to overcome those feelings as easily as the Lightwood children. She didn’t want him to go on a rampage and battle against all the shadowhunters who thought that downworlders were lesser beings, but she also would not lie to him and allow Madzie to be put in potential danger because of that.

“Daddy I want to go home. Please,” Madzie pleaded in his arms, pulling his attention away from his conversation with Lydia.

“Okay baby, just give me a minute to figure things out,” Alec promised, kissing her forehead lovingly. She buried her head back into his neck and relaxed as she breathed in his comforting scent. 

“Alec, I can sit in on the meetings if you need. We all know they don’t care that much about our opinion. They have their orders from the Clave and the head of the Institute is just invited as a courtesy. Let me do this for you,” Lydia said, coming up to Alec and resting her hand on his elbow. With everything they had been through together, Lydia had made it her personal mission to see Alec finally be completely and utterly happy in life.

“Um…” Alec wanted to take the offer. He wanted so badly to get Madzie out of there, especially since she had nothing but bad experiences in those four walls. On the other hand, he knew his mother would be furious if he blew off these meetings and allowed a proxy to sit in instead. 

“Go Alec, she needs you,” Izzy seconded, seeing her brother struggling and knowing the exact reason why. 

Alec looked down at Madzie’s braided head of hair and sighed. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to leave her again, especially in this state. He didn’t have any other options than to accept Lydia’s generous offer. 

“Okay, if you are sure about the offer Lydia, I would be very grateful if you could sit in on the meetings and report their findings back to me at your earliest convenience. And Lydia, thank you,” Alec said, genuinely grateful to have such amazing people in his life to help him. 

“Of course Alec, but don’t think you are getting out of explaining this situation to me over tea sometime,” she said with a smile before walking out of the room to go and attend the meeting Alec had been on his way to when Izzy had called before. 

“Now that everything is covered here, take her home Alec,” Izzy said, her hand on her brother’s back in comfort. She could tell how scared he was after getting her phone call earlier. It hadn’t been her intention to scare him but there was no way to gently break that news. 

“Okay, I have to call Magnus though and let him know something happened. I don’t really want Madzie to hear the conversation so can you keep an eye on her for a second while I step out of the room?” Alec asked, knowing he was likely to be upset on the phone and not wanting Madzie to witness it. 

“Only if that’s okay with you pretty girl,” Izzy said, talking to Madzie. 

“You’ll come right back?” Madzie asked, afraid to let her daddy out of her sight but knowing he wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t important. 

“I’ll be right outside the door Mads,” Alec promised. He waited until she nodded before handing her over to Izzy who sat on the bed with her so they could gather her stuff.

As Alec walked out of the door he was surprised to see a certain shadowhunter lurking around in the hall. He tried his best not to see red as Raj walked down the hall towards him, but he didn’t do a great job at succeeding. 

“What was that warlock doing in your room before Lightwood?” Raj asked, surprised to see Alec out of meetings which piqued his curiosity. 

“That warlock child has a name, and her name is Madzie. She has been staying with Magnus Bane,” Alec said, telling the truth while keeping certain facts out. As much as he would have loved to admit openly that he had a daughter, he knew that it wasn’t sanctioned by the Clave and therefore would not be accepted by other shadowhunters. He felt comfortable telling Lydia, as she had always been on his side, but he definitely didn’t trust Raj.

“What the hell was it doing in YOUR room then?” Raj asked emphasizing the word ‘your,’ as if having a warlock in his room would have been difficult or disgusting for him to bare.

“Excuse me, it?” Alec asked, shocked and angered by what he was hearing. He had managed to quell his anger from hearing Raj pulled his seraph blade out in front of Madzie, but now it was back in full force.

“Her, whatever. I mean, I guess it doesn’t bother you that much, seeing as how your bedding a warlock and all. But seriously, who let her in?” Raj asked with an air of uncaring, not noticing how he was causing Alec’s blood to boil with every word that fell out of his mouth.

As he hadn’t been expecting it, the fist that flew through the air and crashed into his jaw took him completely by surprise. He fell back against the wall, catching himself before he fell down completely. 

His shocked face turned towards Alec, pure disbelief on his face.

“What the fuck Lightwood?” He shouted, spitting out blood as he spoke in anger.

“Remember who you are talking to Raj. If I ever hear you talk about MY family that way again, what Magnus did to you will look like a walk in the park,” Alec threatened, relaxing his fighting stance. “I will protect the ones I love, and it will do you well to remember that and hold your tongue in the future.”

“You Lightwoods are crazy,” Raj said, his eyes moving from Alec’s calm body to Isabelle, who had just peaked her head out of the room after hearing the shouting coming from outside of it, Madzie carefully tucked into her arms. 

“You’ll never learn,” Izzy said towards Raj, shaking her head. She handed Madzie over to Alec when he reached out for her. “Go home, I’ll deal with this. And I’ll text Magnus to let him know you are coming. Just focus on her for a little while,” she instructed, crossing her arms and glaring down at the stupid shadowhunter who dared to pull a seraph blade on her niece. 

Alec knew everything was under control now. Between Lydia and Izzy everything would be taken care of, Raj would be sufficiently silenced while learning a very important lesson. That allowed Alec to turn his focus to Madzie, whose eyes were wide at the sight of the man who had threatened her earlier. 

“Let’s go home Sweet Pea, Papa will be home soon and will be missing us,” Alec whispered to her, making her giggle as his hot breath tickled her ear.

“Okay,” she whispered back, hiding her face in his neck as he made his way out of the institute. 

~*~

Deciding to walk to Magnus’ wasn’t one of Alec’s best decisions. He knew he could have taken a portal from the institute, or a taxi, but he felt the need to get the fresh air to clear his head. Madzie had fallen asleep on his shoulder early on during their trip and Alec had no trouble walking around with her in his arms. 

He felt as though he needed the time to ground himself before having to talk about what happened with Magnus. Alec felt sick to his stomach that he had allowed someone to attack Madzie while she was in his care. Although there was nothing he could have done to protect her in that moment, he had promised her that she would be safe within the walls of the institute. He hated that someone, a shadowhunter, had threatened her safety. 

Alec stepped onto the subway with little trouble, he was used to traveling throughout the city and knew his way around by heart. He was dismayed by how crowded the car seemed to be at that time of day. He had been hoping he would be able to sit with Madzie in his lap but there didn’t seem to be any open seats. It wasn’t that the little girl was too heavy for him, he considered himself fairly strong and her weight was nothing in his arms. But it was awkward to carry her and he would have liked to rearrange her to be more comfortable for the walk from the subway station to Magnus’ loft. 

“Here, take mine,” a young teenager to his left said, getting up from his seat and offering it to Alec. 

“Thank you,” Alec said gratefully. He quickly sat down and cradled the sleeping girl in his arms. She snuggled deeper into his chest as he rearranged her to a more comfortable position. 

“She’s adorable,” the young woman sitting next to him, presumable the teenager’s girlfriend or sister, said to Alec.

“Thank you,” Alec replied, moving her hair out of her face lovingly. He couldn’t believe that anyone could want to hurt her. She was so innocent in this life, how could the fact that she was a warlock cause such hatred in the hearts of his fellow shadowhunters?

“Her outfit is just too cute, where did you get it?” the girl asked, surprising Alec who had assumed their conversation was over after the last exchange.

“What?” Alec asked, confused. He had very little to do with Madzie's wardrobe, that was all Magnus' doing. He didn't even know if Magnus got her clothing from local shops or if he snapped them in from all around the world. He wasn't quiet sure how to answer.

"Sorry, does your wife do the clothing shopping for her?" She asked, still waiting for an answer Alec was most likely unable to give. "I only ask because my nieces birthday is coming up and she would just love that outfit."

"I don't know, my...boyfriend was the one who purchased this outfit... well, most of her outfits. I'm not much of a shopper." Alec replied, stumbling over his admissions, feeling angry at himself for being unable to proudly talk about Magnus' involvement.

“I’m sorry, I assumed. You know what they say, when your assume you make an... well you know,” the girl explained, laughing.

“Oh, um, yeah," Alec said, completely unsure of what saying she was rambling on about but deciding it was probably much better to play along than to ask for an explanation.

“Well, she's adorable, and your boyfriend has wonderful taste,” the girl said, her voice emphasizing her excitement over the information.

“Thank you?” Alec replied, growing more and more uncomfortable with the length of the conversation.

“Welcome,” she said with a smile before turning back towards the boy she was with and picking up a conversation with him.

His interaction with that mundane girl stuck with him as he walked to Magnus’ loft, Madzie cradled in his arms. She had been kind, and had nothing negative to say about Madzie even though she didn’t know her. She didn’t judge the small child by her appearance nor did she judge him for being with her. 

He didn’t understand it. How could mundanes be so accepting? In all of his recent experiences they hadn’t cared that he was gay, or that he was with another man, or that they had adopted a little girl. They didn’t care about anything. In fact, all they seemed to care about was that she was happy and so were they. And yet, his own people, the shadowhunters he had trained with and fought beside, looked upon his life choices with distain and his daughter with disgust. 

Alec swallowed bitterly, even his own mother couldn’t accept him the way the mundanes had. Sure, Izzy and Jace had stayed by him throughout these changes in his life. And Lydia and Clary had been on their side as well. But for the most part, all he had received from the people he had grown up with and sacrificed his life for, was judgement. 

Finally Alec had reached Magnus’ door and began to balance Madzie so that he could open the door without moving her around too much. He was surprised when the door opened and he was engulfed in Magnus’ warm arms. 

“I’m so happy you are home,” Magnus breathed into his hair. “Dear Izzy called me and filled me in on what happened. Are you okay? Is Madzie okay?”

“Let me lay her down and I’ll explain,” Alec said, relishing in the warmth and love that he only felt when coming home to Magnus.

He laid Madzie down upon her bed and left her door ajar so that they could hear her when she woke from her nap. He then joined his boyfriend on the couch in the living room and collapsed into his arms as he retold the tale. He felt Magnus’ arms tighten around him in fear when he got to the part with Raj pulling his seraph blade on Madzie. And he dropped a gentle kiss to the crown of Alec’s head when he heard how Alec had punched Raj for his ignorant words. 

“Sounds like quite a day Alexander,” Magnus said, once the story was over.

“I won’t let anyone talk about you like that, or Madzie. You are so important to me. I love you, and her,” Alec said simply.

“I love you too,” Magnus replied.

“I will always protect what we have, I will always protect my family,” Alec said, and he meant it. Although he hadn’t been required to protect his family as much as he expected, he would always be prepared to go to war for them. It didn’t matter who he would have to fight against.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


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